According to the 2018 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report, 77 percent of those surveyed said they have a law firm website, down from 84 percent in previous years. And, among those who responded to the survey, small firms and solos were the least likely to have a law firm website.
Yet, for small firms and solo practitioners, a law firm website is more important than ever. Here are three reasons why your law firm’s website is an integral part of your marketing, and your practice as a whole.
Your law firm’s website can make it easier for you to connect with the right potential clients
Many potential clients start their search for an attorney online, and your law firm’s website can make it easier for those potential clients to find you, trust you, and ultimately, hire you.
When it’s used correctly, your law firm’s website can be significantly more efficient than many forms of traditional advertising. Billboards and magazine ads are static — you pay for the cost of the ad, publish it, and hope that it draws in potential clients. And content is the most effective form of SEO for attorneys, by far.
However, your law firm’s website is different — it’s dynamic. You can add new information to it at any time, and that information can draw in potential clients when it is relevant to their needs.
Your potential clients will engage with your website differently than they engage with traditional advertising. Rather than simply putting an advertisement put in the visual field of your potential clients (and hoping that they engage with it), your potential clients are likely to end up at your website as they seek out information. And, as a result, website marketing is much more effective at reaching these potential clients when it’s done right.
Your law firm’s website should act as an extension of your physical office. When a potential client visits your office, what is their experience like? How do you engage with them? What kinds of questions are they asking, and how do you answer those questions? Translating that experience into a content-rich site that’s easy for your potential clients to use makes it much more likely that the potential client will find you and connect with you.
Whether a potential client finds you through a referral or through an online search, a well-designed website with the right content will increase their confidence that you are the right attorney to assist them.
Having a compelling website that attracts and converts clients is essential to building a thriving practice. With LawLytics, it’s fast, easy, and affordable.
Used correctly, your law firm’s website is a cost-effective form of driving new business to your law firm
In the past, a bigger marketing budget may have meant better visibility for attorneys, leaving smaller firms (with smaller budgets) unable to compete. Those with big budgets could purchase full-page ads, billboards, and television advertising.
However, the internet has given potential clients a significant advantage in terms of choosing how they connect with an attorney, and attorneys who use their law firm websites effectively can take advantage of it.
Potential clients are tired of ads. They now look for information. And, thanks to search engines like Google, they have access to a lot of information. Consumers of legal services are now likely to search for answers to the questions that they have about their case or matter.
Attorneys are able to engage those potential clients by providing the information that they’re looking for. And attorneys who do so have a marketing advantage. Money is no longer a barrier to doing online marketing well, because small firms with small budgets can create content just as well as a large firm can. Investing in content is significantly less expensive than investing in traditional forms of disposable advertising because content has a lifespan that goes beyond the moment in which it’s created. That content will continue to be found by new clients — and drive them to your firm — so long as the information remains relevant.
When that content is created with the user in mind, and when your website has an efficient, easy-to-use design, it’s an experience that provides a high level of value for the consumer. It’s easier to attract the attention of the clients you want, and it doesn’t cause you overspend on your law firm’s online marketing in the process.
Your law firm’s website can be more than just a marketing tool
When it’s done right, your law firm’s website can act as the hub of your online marketing. But it can go beyond that, as well.
By using the right website tools and software, your law firm’s website can assist you with everyday tasks such as creating client intake forms and sending that information to the appropriate parties in your firm. With LawLytics, for example, you can easily create any kind of form, from simple “Contact Us” forms to complex client intake questionnaires, LawLytics lets you create and manage forms with ease, and select who receives forms when they’re filled out.
Your website can also assist you with client expectation management — if your website provides details about what it’s like to work with you and your staff, how quickly you return phone calls, what your potential clients can expect, and so on, you’ll be able to point your potential clients and clients to the information that they need about your practice.
As a result, you’re more likely to have better-aligned clients from the start who are also happier during client intake and at the end of the representation process.
Potential clients are turning to the internet to learn about their case or problem. When your website is aligned with their needs by providing information that they’re looking for and that they understand, you’re much more likely to be found by — and build trust and authority with — the potential clients you’re looking for.
